The Syrian civil war is ground zero for this global struggle. Northern Syria and Iraq are where the first-of-its-kind terrorist state has been swiftly created over the past 18 months — right under the world’s nose.
This radical Islamic terrorist state, known as ISIS, encompasses a land mass three times the size of Maine. It has attracted 30,000 impassioned warriors from more than 100 countries. Nearly 5,000 are from Western nations with passports allowing easy international travel, including to America. Some 250 fighters came from our United States, or tried to.
ISIS uses sophisticated, cheap, and alarmingly effective social media and Internet strategies to radicalize and attract combatants from every corner of the globe. These warriors are battle-hardened and trained in bomb making and other tools of terror. They use lethal weapons to expand their territory and brutality. Some return to their home countries to further their savagery. ISIS fuels its terrorism by selling about $1 million per day of crude oil on the black market from wells captured during its land grab.
President Barack Obama has called ISIS a “JV team.” It’s quite the opposite.
The day before the horrific terror attacks in Paris, the president said ISIS was “contained.” It’s clearly not.
A couple days after the attacks, while releasing five violent terrorists from Guantanamo Bay, our commander-in-chief stated that his plan to defeat ISIS was working and that we should stay the course. It appears there is no real plan to destroy ISIS.
Radical Islamic terrorism is a serious threat to our homeland. That’s why it is so concerning that the commander-in-chief and his staff will not call ISIS what it is — a radical Islamic terrorist state. Furthermore, the president pulled nearly all U.S. troops from unstable Iraq creating a vacuum now filled by ISIS. And, the administration brokered the dangerous Iran nuclear deal that assures a pathway to nuclear weapons and $150 billion in cash and other assets for the Iranian government, which trains, arms and funds terrorists throughout the Middle East.
As a member of Congress, I’m using every inch of my constitutional authority to help keep Americans safe.
Almost one full year ago, I co-sponsored successful legislation to force the administration to secure our borders. The Senate should finally do its job and pass this common sense bill, and then send it to the president’s desk. The president’s open border policy is dangerous. Let’s not forget that Maine has a 311-mile northern border. We recently learned that Canada plans to accept 30,000 Syrian refugees who have not been effectively screened.
Several months ago, I stood up strong with a wide bipartisan majority in the U.S. House to vote against the dangerous Iran nuclear deal. The Senate has yet to vote on this frightening agreement.
Before Thanksgiving, I joined a bipartisan veto-proof House majority to freeze the Syrian and Iraqi refugee resettlement program until we’re able to confirm those 10,000 individuals pose no threat to Americans. It’s time for the Senate and president to act and stand up for national security. This is our country. We should control who comes here.
Recently, I co-sponsored a bill that tightens visa travel to America for unknown foreigners. I was pleasantly surprised when the president followed its passage by Congress and signed the bill into law.
Our next commander-in-chief must take the war on terror seriously. Today, here in America, there are almost 1,000 terrorist investigations in all 50 states. Every week brings a new terrorist-related arrest. Some plots go undetected such as the December carnage in San Bernardino, California.
Unfortunately, Obama has repeatedly demonstrated a lack of understanding about the threats we face at home, most recently his attempt to weaken Second Amendment rights in response to horrific attacks by terrorists — not law-abiding gun owners. Rest assured, I will continue to defend our Second Amendment and all constitutional rights.
This is a dangerous world. It’s reckless for public officials to hope terrorists will eventually see the light and abandon their barbarism. Hope is not a national security strategy.
We can defeat ISIS, win the war on terror, and keep our families safe. It will take new committed leadership who will elevate this to the top priority. That leadership can’t come soon enough.
Rep. Bruce Poliquin, a Republican, represents Maine’s 2nd District in the U.S. House of Representatives.